The short answer
Two households with identical consumption can pay different bills for the same energy, because Ofgem sets the price cap region by region. At typical use the gap between the cheapest and dearest region is £133 a year, split almost evenly between standing charges and unit rates.
Here utility bills means gas and electricity, not water, broadband or council tax.
This utility bills calculator by postcode 2026 guide covers all 14 regions at low, typical and high use, plus the sum to run for your address. Every cap figure is the Q4 2026 cap on Ofgem's revised 2026 consumption values, dual fuel on Direct Debit, with a national headline of £1,723 on that basis.1 Gas rates include 5% VAT, while electricity rates carry no VAT because VAT on electricity is removed from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.1
- At typical use the cheapest region, East Midlands at £1,672, and the dearest, North Wales & Merseyside at £1,805, sit £133 apart.
- Your own consumption matters more than your region: in East Midlands alone, low use costs £1,170 and high use costs £2,354.
- Every fixed deal prices above the Q4 2026 cap in the 6 November 2026 feed, while the trackers sit at or below it.
Regional price cap rates by postcode
Great Britain is split into 14 electricity distribution regions, and Ofgem publishes one set of regional price cap rates for each.1 The rates differ because network costs differ: wires across rural Wales cost more per customer than those serving a dense part of London. A postcode therefore fixes four numbers, a unit rate and a standing charge for each fuel.
| Region | Main postcode areas | Electricity unit rate | Electricity standing charge a day | Gas unit rate | Gas standing charge a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | DE, LE, LN, NG and others | 25.36p | 51.45p | 7.82p | 29.41p |
| Eastern | AL, CB, CM, CO and others | 26.61p | 51.84p | 7.91p | 29.34p |
| London | E, N, W, EC and others | 26.60p | 42.92p | 8.15p | 30.20p |
| North East | DH, DL, NE, SR and others | 25.46p | 61.58p | 7.92p | 29.79p |
| North Scotland | AB, DD, FK, IV and others | 26.35p | 55.14p | 7.87p | 29.87p |
| North Wales & Merseyside | L, CH, LL, WA | 27.86p | 67.66p | 7.91p | 30.08p |
| North West | M, BB, BL, CA and others | 26.49p | 45.68p | 7.86p | 29.81p |
| South East | BN, BR, CR, CT and others | 26.88p | 52.32p | 8.05p | 29.26p |
| South Scotland | G, DG, EH, KA and others | 26.11p | 61.41p | 7.87p | 29.89p |
| South Wales | CF, NP, SA | 26.55p | 55.41p | 8.09p | 29.96p |
| South West | BA, BS, DT, EX and others | 26.58p | 55.58p | 8.12p | 29.31p |
| Southern | BH, PO, SO, SP | 26.47p | 47.81p | 8.17p | 29.16p |
| West Midlands | B, CV, DY, HR and others | 25.60p | 57.23p | 7.90p | 29.71p |
| Yorkshire | S, BD, DN, HD and others | 25.60p | 61.67p | 7.90p | 29.77p |
Utility bills by region at low, typical and high use
The SwitchInsights methodology uses Ofgem's low, medium (typical) and high consumption levels. After its May 2026 review, electricity is 1,600, 2,500 and 3,800 kWh a year and gas is 6,000, 9,500 and 14,000 kWh.3 The consumption values explainer covers why they fell.
| Region | Low use | Typical use | High use |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | £1,170 | £1,672 | £2,354 |
| North West | £1,171 | £1,684 | £2,383 |
| London | £1,181 | £1,706 | £2,419 |
| West Midlands | £1,201 | £1,708 | £2,396 |
| Eastern | £1,197 | £1,713 | £2,415 |
| North Scotland | £1,204 | £1,717 | £2,413 |
| Southern | £1,195 | £1,719 | £2,431 |
| North East | £1,216 | £1,722 | £2,410 |
| Yorkshire | £1,217 | £1,724 | £2,413 |
| South Scotland | £1,223 | £1,734 | £2,427 |
| South East | £1,211 | £1,735 | £2,446 |
| South Wales | £1,222 | £1,744 | £2,453 |
| South West | £1,222 | £1,746 | £2,457 |
| North Wales & Merseyside | £1,277 | £1,805 | £2,523 |
SwitchInsights research shows the regional gap growing with use, from £107 at low use to £133 at typical use and £169 at high use, because unit rates differ between regions as well as standing charges.
Between East Midlands and North Wales & Merseyside, standing charges account for £62 of the £133 typical-use gap and unit rates for £71. The standing charge by region ranges from £267 a year in London to £357 in North Wales & Merseyside, a £90 spread at every level of use. See the standing charge explainer and energy prices by region.
Energy bill calculator by postcode, step by step
- Enter your postcode. The SwitchPilot energy bill calculator reads the leading letters of your postcode, returns your region and prices your home on its cap rates.
- Confirm the region on your bill. The two-digit distributor ID at the top of your electricity supply number names it, from 10 for Eastern to 23 for Yorkshire, and the Energy Networks Association runs a lookup.4
- Choose your use level. Take the annual kWh from your last bill and pick the closest column in the bill table.
- Copy your four cap rates for your region from the first table.
- Run the sum. Multiply each standing charge by 365 and each unit rate by your kWh, add the four results and divide by 100.
- Compare with a fixed deal using the table in the next section, and check the exit fee first.
| Bill line | Calculation | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity standing charge | 42.92p x 365 days | £157 |
| Electricity units | 26.60p x 2,500 kWh | £665 |
| Gas standing charge | 30.20p x 365 days | £110 |
| Gas units | 8.15p x 9,500 kWh | £774 |
| Total, dual fuel | Sum of the four lines | £1,706 |
Cap rates against fixed deals in your area
The cap is the default, so the useful comparison is a deal priced at the same use. The SwitchPilot daily rate feed prices every single-rate fixed and tracker deal across all 14 regions, and each is measured against its own regional cap.2
| Deal | Type | Median cost a year | Cheapest to dearest region | Against own regional cap | Exit fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.ON Next Pledge Tracker 12m | Tracker, 12 months | £1,670 | £1,622 to £1,754 | -£50 | £25 |
| EDF Energy Simply Tracker | Tracker | £1,673 | £1,622 to £1,783 | -£50 | £100 |
| Ofgem cap, Q4 2026 regional median | Variable | £1,721 | £1,672 to £1,805 | n/a | None |
| E.ON Next Fixed 12m | Fixed, 12 months | £1,861 | £1,812 to £1,916 | +£137 | £50 |
| So Energy Fixed 24m Loyal | Fixed, 24 months | £1,884 | £1,841 to £1,941 | +£170 | £90 |
| Octopus Energy 18M Fixed | Fixed, 18 months | £1,890 | £1,827 to £1,983 | +£166 | £75 |
SwitchInsights analysis shows every fixed deal pricing above the Q4 2026 cap in the 6 November 2026 feed. The cheapest, E.ON Next Fixed 12m, has a median cost of £1,861 a year, which is £137 above its regional cap. The trackers sit at or below the cap, and E.ON Next Pledge Tracker 12m is £50 below it at the median.
Against the Q4 cap, a fix buys certainty and not a saving. That comparison is against the Q4 2026 cap only. Ofgem is due to confirm the January to March 2027 cap on 25 November 2026, and Cornwall Insight's forecast of 30 September 2026 pointed to a rise of about 16%, to around £1,999 a year at typical use, which helps explain why fixed deals are priced above the Q4 cap.7
A fix priced above the Q4 cap could still cost less over the next year, so compare it against the average cap you expect over the length of the fix. The tracker tariff vs fixed comparison covers that trade-off.
Compare live prices for your own postcode on the SwitchPilot tariff tracker, and see the breakdown of the confirmed Q4 2026 cap. This article is not financial advice.
How SwitchInsights calculated this: SwitchInsights took the Q4 2026 cap rates for all 14 regions from Ofgem, applied its low, medium and high consumption values, and costed each region as standing charge times 365 plus unit rate times kWh, for both fuels. The deal comparison is based on data from the SwitchPilot daily rate feed, combining cost figures for every region against each deal's own regional cap. Where a supplier has no priced tariff in the feed, the article says so and leaves the gap unfilled.